A defense minister has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently investigating the potential threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in any cars.
Safety Advice for MoD Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD officials have been instructed not to talk about secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” cars from China within its fleets, however emphasised that safety is a issue in every contemporary cars.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the MoD and Chinese ones represent a tiny fraction.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting MoD devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of vehicle, due to the increasing risks of surveillance that are present in all vehicle, to only have those confidential talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the ministry to cease using every cars from China, Pollard replied: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Defence Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the UK to the presence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow the Chinese government to switch off buses and cause chaos to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia intelligence vessel has been shining laser beams at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by government representatives.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of strong measures and caution in every areas of official operations, from transport usage to communication practices.
